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Eve/Background Information
| }} /Credits|Credits}} /Gallery|Gallery}} /Transcript|Transcript}} /Background Information|Background Information}} }} Production *This installment was initially devised by freelance writing duo Kenneth Biller and Chris Brancato. "Ken and Chris came in and pitched a bunch of stories," remembered Glen Morgan. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) This story idea, about a genetic experiment involving identical sets of twins, was originally called "The Girls From Greenwich". ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Eve," TXF Season 1 DVD special features) This name is obviously similar to the title of the film , a movie which (p. 57) cites as having inspired this installment. *This episode was chosen to be realized a while after it was first suggested. Glen Morgan continued, " Eve' was picked up for production when the regular writing staff had arrived at a point when a script was needed, and no one had one ready." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) Morgan ended up doing an uncredited rewrite of the episode with writing partner James Wong. (X-Files Confidential, p. 56) *This episode's script went through five drafts. These were dated 25th and 28th October as well as 2nd, 3rd and 4th November 1993. *The hardest location to find for this episode's production was a "typical" American-style roadside diner, a form of building very rare in Vancouver. Additionally, a parking lot including semi-trailers was required to be outside the café. This filming location was needed to represent the Hi-Way 49 Cafe, which was ultimately shown using Seacrest Motel and White Rock Sunset Café, in White Rock, the latter of which had a large gravel parking lot. (X Marks the Spot (On Location with The X-Files), pp. 31 & 40) *Although The X-Files producers originally searched for twins in Los Angeles, they were forced to cast local talent in Vancouver, as child-labor laws meant that flying the children there, in light of the limited number of hours they could work, would have made the episode virtually impossible to do. ( , p. 127) *Since finding twins who could act was proving to be challenging, Co-Executive Producer R.W. Goodwin at one point briefly considered an alternative solution. "I thought we should cast one actor and then do a photo double and split screen," he revealed, "but there was so much with the two of them together that it was impossible. It also would have been very expensive." (X-Files Confidential, p. 56) *With much enthusiasm, Art Director Graeme Murray designed an awning for the exterior of the White Rock Sunset Café. More than ten semi-trailers filled the parking lot outside the café, prior to a ceaseless evening of filming. Noted Location Manager Louisa Gradnitzer, "Many of the drivers were a bit disgruntled by the 4 a.m. wrap time." (X Marks the Spot (On Location with The X-Files), p. 40) *The editing of this episode turned out to be a struggle. "Instead of being fluid," observed James Wong, "it became a difficult editing exercise, to make it all flow right." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) Trivia *Popular contemporary rock group Eve 6 named their band after this episode. The drummer was very impressed with character Eve 6's dialogue of biting somebody's eyeball. *Eve 6's line, "She is me, I am her, and we are all together," is a clear reference to The Beatles song " ". The lyrics of that song begin with the line, "I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together." *The footage shown on television in this episode (showing cartoon cats and the following news segment) was taken from Eek! the Cat. The same footage also appears in the Season 3 Millennium episode "Human Essence". *The twin girls in this episode, Teena, and Cindy were named after the wives of Glen Morgan and James Wong. ( , p. 127) *In this episode, one particular setting and an arrangement of scenes therein seem surprisingly similar to some from the 1994 movie Pulp Fiction. When Scully and Mulder visit Cindy Reardon's mother, it's almost the same setting and camera work as when Christopher Walken's character is talking to the mother of Bruce Willis' character. Reception *Glen Morgan and James Wong were left with the impression, due to this episode's difficult editing process, that the installment could have been much scarier than it is. Harriet Harris' performances in this outing were what made the episode a success in their opinions. "She was great," declared Morgan. "Tremendous, terrific," Wong added. (Cinefantastique Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) *Chris Carter described the rewrite which James Wong and Glen Morgan did on this episode as "interesting." (X-Files Confidential, p. 56) " Eve' was an amazing episode," Carter expressed, "because it was beautifully rewritten ... Morgan and Wong ... did a fantastic rewrite job." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 43) He also stated Director Fred Gerber "brought some interesting stuff to it." Carter went on to say, "I liked the episode, the casting in particular, with the twin girls ... Also Harriet Harris was excellent." (X-Files Confidential, p. 56) Elaborating on his thoughts about the twins' performances, Carter said, "Those two little girls were wonderfully understated and creepy." (The Complete X-Files: Behind the Series, the Myths and the Movies, p. 43) Particular scenes of this episode which Carter regarded as high points are the teaser scene, with its view of a dead father slumped in a swing set and the scene in which Mulder and Scully visit a restrained Eve 6. Carter remarked, "I love the teaser ... It's kind of a horrific image and not something you see on your regular network TV show." Considering the visit Mulder and Scully pay to Eve 6 in an insane asylum, Carter opined, "I think it's a great scene." ("Chris Carter Talks About Season One Episodes: Eve", TXF Season 1 DVD special features) *R.W. Goodwin was similarly thrilled with this outing. He enthused, "We just got very lucky that we found these little girls who were terrific. 'Eve', like most of the scripts was so goddamned good that our job was not to screw it up. If we can do it without screwing it up and deliver what's on the page, we're going to have a good show. 'Eve' in particular was a very good show." (X-Files Confidential, p. 56) *The production delay which resulted in this episode's script eventually being used for production also caused a three-week interval between the airing of new episodes. ( ) This episode aired after that interval. *On its initial airing, this episode achieved a Nielsen household rating of 6.8, with an audience share of 12. This means that roughly 6.8 percent of all television-equipped households, and 12 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 6.4 million households. ( , p. 248) *This installment is extremely popular with fans. (Cinefantastique Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) *''Cinefantastique'' (Vol. 26/27, No. 6/1, p. 41) scores this episode 3 out of 4 stars. The magazine comments, " Eve' is a real nail-biter ... The suspense comes when the audience learns the truth before Mulder and Scully do, and watches as the nasty little girls plot the unwitting agents' demise. One good twist is that Mulder, who is sure at first this is related to alien-caused cattle mutilations, for once turns out to be wrong ... Functioning merely as a source, Throat's ... appearance seems superfluous. It's an awkward scene, obviously written to propel the story forward when Mulder, and the writers, are at a dead end. Acting honors go to Harriet Harris ... Her scene in the insane asylum is unforgettable. Eyes popping, teeth snapping, restrained like an animal, she is Hannibal Lecter with a twitch." * ( ) once described this as "one of the twistiest, scariest and smartest stories of the first series." *In his reference book , writer Robert Shearman gave this episode 4 out of 5 stars. He remarked, "Part of 'Eve 's cleverness is that it turns our expectations right on their heads .... The result is that we get a mystery which actually intrigues and surprises the viewer. I'm naturally scared of children anyway – who knows what's going on in those little heads? – so 'Eve' had me chilled from the start." Shearman went on to praise the performances of the Krievins twins and Harriet Harris. "The only fly in the ointment," he criticized, "is the characterisation of the regulars, possibly because this is the first episode written by freelancers .... The glee with which Mulder ... finds out a little girl has been abducted just because it bolsters one of his theories feels very off-key. And Scully is rather colorless here – besides needing to have in vitro fertilization explained to her, the good doctor is told by Mulder, of all people, the function of the heart! Jerry Hardin, too, looks a bit all at sea; back to a role of genial provider of exposition for no obvious reason, his performance becomes awkward and unusually mannered. It's a clever story, though, ... showing elegance and guile."